The National Cricket League (NCL) will lose colour with the start of the eighth round of matches today as sides will be without top players.

The country's lone first class competition has already suffered in terms of appeal as a number of leading cricketers have missed majority of matches due to various reasons and some have only made fleeting appearances. There have also been enforced absences along the way, as players had to perform their national team duties in the middle of the league.

The latest situation has been prompted by Bangladesh Cricket Board's decision to not allow the 20 probables for the country's maiden tour of England to play in the NCL once their preliminary camp started. The Tigers' training begins today at the Army Stadium.

Besides, teams will also have to sacrifice young prospects who have

been selected to tour Australia with the Bangladesh Under-19 side. The youth squad leave Dhaka on April 6.

With the NCL reaching its climax, a badly weakened second placed Khulna meet leaders Rajshahi in the one-day match of the round at the Rajshahi Stadium. Khulna (10 points) have lost as many as six players including national captain Habibul Bashar, Mashrafee Bin Mortuza, Abdur Razzak, Manzarul Islam and Tushar Imran to the national camp while young paceman Dollar Mahmud will tour Australia with the U-19s.

Khulna have not applied for replacements yet but Rajshahi (12 points), who will be without skipper Khaled Mashud, Farhad Hossain and Sohrawardi Shuvo, have already received the nod from the league's technical committee to include fresh faces Jubair Ahmed and Ashraful Islam.

Dhaka, tabletoppers in the four-day event, appear to be the worst hit after losing no less than ten players. Struggling to field an XI, they are away in Barisal. Dhaka have received the permission to include Jewel Hossain, Nazmul Sadat and

Fahim Muntasir in their clash against the hosts who are bottom in the one-day standings. Dhaka, who are four points behind Rajshahi, saw skipper Khaled Mahmud, Mohammed Ashraful, Javed Omer, Talha Jubair, Mohammed Rafique and Anwar Munir called up for the tour of England and had to let go youngsters Mahmudullah Riyadh and Mehrab Hossain Jr to the U-19s. Senior campaigners Sanwar Hossain and Al Shahriar are not playing for personal reasons.

Sylhet, level on points with Khulna, are at home against defending champions Chittagong. Sylhet are without Tapash Baisya, Rajin Saleh, Enamul Haque Jr, Nazmul Hossain and Nazmus Sadat.

They are hoping to secure the services of three first division cricketers from Dhaka's Eskaton Sabuj Sangha -- Zakwan, Rana Mia and Shohan.

Chittagong, who have won just one limited overs game and are virtually out of running in the longer version also, have to do without Nafees Iqbal and Aftab Ahmed.